Pores of porous materials are classified into three types of pores, i.e., micropores (<2 nm), mezzo pores (2˜50 nm), and macro pores (>50 nm). Since porous materials can be used in various fields including catalysts, separation systems, low dielectric materials, hydrogen storage materials, and photonic crystal through control of their pore sizes, the materials have received much attention recently.
As such porous materials, there are materials containing inorganic materials, metals, polymers, carbons, or others. Among the materials, porous materials containing carbons (porous carbon structures) have excellent chemical, mechanical, and thermal stability, and can be effectively used in various fields. In particular, with surface characteristics, ion conductivity, corrosion resistance, and low costs, the porous carbon materials have been deemed to be important materials for low temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Various types and shapes of carbon materials have been used. High surface area activated carbons, carbon blacks, and others have been used as supporting materials to fabricate a metal catalyst.
The fabrication of the porous carbon structure has been achieved through a templating method. Conventionally, the porous carbon structure has been fabricated by applying a method of injecting a carbon precursor into a silica structure having mezzo pores synthesized by using a mixture of a surfactant and a silica precursor, carbonizing the carbon precursor, and then, selectively removing the silica structure, or a method of forming a three-dimensional porous structure through self-assembling of nano particles, and not, the surfactant, injecting a carbon precursor thereinto to carbonize the carbon precursor, and then, removing the nano particle assembly.
However, there have been difficulties in synthesizing a carbon material having a high surface area and thoroughly interconnected and uniformed porous structure. In particular, the size of pores of the porous carbon structure cannot be freely controlled. Also, it takes much time to generate the carbon structure.
Thus, in forming a porous carbon structure having homogenous fine pores three-dimensionally connected to one another and regularly arranged, there has been the need for a technology enabling accurate control of a pore size and rapid formation of the carbon structure.